On Friday, April 18 in Olin Library Lobby, Campus Progress facilitated a debate between Wesleyan Democrats and Republicans, which covered the death penalty, health care, and United States’ place in the world.
Scott Ugras ’10, Eugene Wong ’09, and Mytheos Holt ’10 debated for the Republicans, and Tristen Tully ’09, Chris Goy ’09, and Karl Grindal ’09 debated for the Democrats. While debaters hailed from both student groups, their views did not differ as substantially as their respective parties.
Alexander Furnas ’11, leader of the University’s chapter of Campus Progress, organized the debate and moderated with the help of Professor of Government Donald Moon. Campus Progress is part of the Center for American Progress. According to its website, campusprogress.org, the organization’s aim is to build a united and broad-based progressive movement by empowering youth.
The second debate featured lively exchanges between Holt and Grindal on health care. At one point, Grindal called Holt an “anarchist,” which so outraged Holt that he appeared to spit, prompting laughter from the audience
Throughout the health care debate, Grindal pushed for a single-payer two-tiered health care program which finances basic care, similar to Canada’s system. Holt pushed for a limited government, ending “corporate welfare” health care package, and proposed
a system in which business and the market would be more effective in providing care.
“Business is the foundation of all progress,” Holt claimed at one point, while making a point about the positive effects of increased competition among the poor and uninsured. Both candidates agreed that there was a major health-care problem in United States.
While debating the United States’ place in the world, Ugras was asked about the Bush doctrine of preemptive war. He responded by saying that trying to distinguish between preemptive war and other military action was “subtle and unproductive.”
Tully responded that the “right to preempt exists,” but also stated that the unilateral commitment to the Iraq War and the current thin deployments both represent problems.
When asked whether diplomacy or the military should be used to fight terrorism the Republicans and Democrats said that both were important. While the Republicans stressed the need for strong intelligence, the Democrats stressed the need to lower the national debt.
Additionally, both sides claimed that, given the violations it has perpetrated abroad, the United States has become hypocritical in its enforcement of international law and human rights in other countries.
Finally, Tully criticized the United States for trying to police the world, while Ugras claimed that if there is a dire crisis abroad, then the United States should intervene. Both of these positions may reflect recent shifts within the Democratic and Republican parties.
Furnas cited apathy and lack of involvement as problems on campus, reasoning that any type of discourse, including the debate, will provoke progressive ends.
“I enjoyed seeing the depth of thought on things,” Furnas said.
Holt agreed, noting that the debate showed there was an intellectual balance at bare minimum on campus.
“We showed our viability as a campus organization,” Holt said. “[Hopefully] Wesleyan students will stop seeing Republicans as Bible-wielding fascists.”
“It was interesting to see how much agreement there was, especially in the third section [on the United States’ place in the world],” Moon said.
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